Will he or won’t he? Mandel draws laughs when he says he will not give his promised announcement today.

[Correction, he drew laughs at the back of the room. Coun. Don Iveson said you could hear a pin drop at the front where he was sitting.]

Mayor Stephen Mandel gave his State of the City address to the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce at the Shaw Conference Centre, a sold out affair at which he has promised to say whether he will seek a fourth term in office this October.

I’m live blogging here with updates in reverse chronological order.

2:10 p.m.

Reaction from councillors:

Coun. Bryan Anderson: “Everyone was disappointed because they thought they were going to have an answer today.”

Coun. Amarjeet Sohi: “If Mayor Mandel makes a decision to run than I will not be running. … I would love to work under his leadership for another four years.”

Coun. Kerry Diotte on how he was not surprised: “I always figured there was a third option.”

Coun. Karen Leibovici on if she will run: “It’s premature to make a decision like that.” Was she surprised? “I think it was 50-50. He had to be finished his business so he could make that decision.”

Coun. Don Iveson on Mandel’s decision not to declare a decision: “I think it will be a good thing. It will put a lid on the succession debate for a while.”

Coun. Dave Loken: “I can’t imagine he would leave at a time like this when so many things are unfinished.”

Coun. Ed Gibbons: “Premier Redford better think about her own job when this speech came out. … He would make a good premier, I would think.”

As Mandel makes his decision, he will pay attention to the timelines. People need to know what he decided. But until then, his commitment is to Edmonton.

With that, he closes and thanks everyone for coming. People rise to give him a standing ovation.

Mandel will be speaking with the media afterward, and then heading to the Edmonton Journal to meet with the editorial board. Thanks for following the live blog.

1:20 p.m.

The province has committed to writing new big city charters, and he’s thankful the premier has said this will be a priority. But simply raising more revenue should not be the real solution. Our simple goal is that paying our fair share is all that we pay, he said.

{Note: looking for a link to the speech online. It’s been handed out in hard copy form]

1:15 p.m.

We still have gaps, he said. We’re waiting for MSI funding that we were promised. Council will be decisive when allocating the dollars, but they are waiting for the money. Council still needs to push harder to be more efficient, especially as the labour costs rise for city workers.

In the past years, the council has become more unified. But they still face many funding gaps, being required to pay for many services without the funding that the province has.

With regional governance, Edmonton has lived with a half-done plan. We’ve all been patient, but patience is expensive. It can become inaction.

It will cost billions of dollars less if we have one plan together, he says, urging the province to push for more co-operation between municipalities.

Edmonton launched an annexation bid itself. The county does not have the resources to develop the land. If you look at Calgary’s history of annexation, those that benefit from the services now pay their portion of the cost.

The province needs to reengage. “I know they have their challenges, but we need solutions.” Making all parties pay is the only way to make Edmonton sustainable.

1:12 p.m.

It’s easy to claim quick wins, he said. Leadership needs bigger goals, to affect real and meaningful change. To put LRT on a firm path to development, and to make concrete steps toward making Edmonton a more compact city.

He says he’s looking at a new project to help foster children turning 18 to establish themselves on their own.

1:10 p.m.

We need to help our children dream about more than a punch card, he said. Then turns to the economic benefits that come from the university here. That is a “sustainable resource,” he said. The crowd breaks out in applause. This is of now more significant to our city than the energy industry to downtown Calgary.

We’ve seen the political muscle to defend that territory, he said. We should know better than just to stand by.

Edmonton’s post-secondary institutions have the potential to be among the best in the world, he said, challenging the province not to “shackle” our most creative people.

1:05 p.m.

So he will talk about Edmonton, he says. Edmonton is often timid. Perhaps this is partly because of the city’s place in the province, a place dominated by rural-urban politics.

We choose to keep the peace.

We lost out when the province amalgamated the health districts, he said. But the city stood up for itself when it came to closing the municipal airport.

The province’s decision to cut back on post-secondary in the budget is a problem. There is no mediocrity here. The same scientists who enabled the oilsands to move forward, might now by afraid to push ahead. How will we overcome our future challenges without those who work in the humanities as well?

1:00 p.m.

As for if he will run again, he says: “I do not have an answer today.”

Key questions still rest for the city, he says. Challenges that arise from the provincial budget.

A growing regional partnership is devolving into petty competition. He needs to focus on what he needs to protect. He knows there are timelines at play but he says there is still time.

As for those who might make political decisions based on his decision, they need to make their announcements on their own time, not on his.

1:00 p.m.

Mandel talks about Make Something Edmonton, saying that it invites us to shout a little louder about those things we know to be true, that Edmonton is an amazing place. People have gathered here for thousands of years and built this city from the ground up.

Nine years ago, he started to talk about Edmonton’s need to act and plan to make this city great again. There was a yearning to do more than good enough, he said. The people of this city have lived those words in so many ways over the last nine years.

Alberta Avenue, the youth and the elderly, and the business community have all worked to build. Credits the graciousness of the First Peoples to help build an identity stretching back years.

12:55 p.m.

“Thank-you. That was supposed to happen after the speech,” he said.

Mandel takes a moment to recognize the contributions of former premier Ralph Klein. Someone who left an indelible print on our province for decades to come, he says, calling him “a really neat guy” and “iconic Albertan.”

Also points out that the introductions missed his grandson Chase, the cutest kid in the world. He starts to cry on cue from somewhere in the audience.

12:53 p.m.

The mayor takes the stage for real, to long applause and a standing ovation. Mandel looks like he’s going to cry.

Capital Power CEO Brian Vaasjo takes the stage. They are the title sponsor for this event. Hes ays 24 hours is a long time in politics, credits Mandel for his many years of service. Says number of accomplishments over the years is a great track record. Compliments Mandel for his vision and tenacity. The city is “extremely well served,” he says.

The city had great vision when they saw the spin off of Capital Power from Epcor, he says. They will continue to serve the community with their funds and they just stepped up to a three year commitment for to Citadel Theater, he said. Capital Power is one of Mandel’s successes.

No matter what Mandel decides, we can all agree Edmonton is a better, stronger and more cosmopolitan city than it was 8 1/2 years ago, he said. We can be thankful he committed those 4,000 days. “Thank-you for all you do to make Edmonton a great city.”

12:15 p.m.

Former premier Ed Stelmach is also here in the audience with his wife, Dodd says.

Dodd says the state of the city address illustrates the co-operation between the chamber and the city. The chamber supports the downtown arena. They’ve also urged the city to hold the line on taxes, and have appreciated their efforts.

This year, the chamber is putting their support behind a new project. He asks everyone to put their support behind the project to light up the high level bridge.

12:11 p.m.

Lindsay Dodd takes the microphone, tells everyone to sit down. About 2,000 people have gathered in the room for the Mayor’s State of the City address. When Edmontonians care, they come out in droves to make sure things get done right, he says.

“This city has a better year and a better future than just about any city in the world today,” he said.

Introducing the head table, Mandel and his wife Lynn. His daughter Rachel and her fiancee. The mayor’s sister and brother-in-law are also here.

11:50 a.m.

Hall B at the Shaw Conference centre is starting to fill up. My colleague David Staples ran into Mayor Stephen Mandel on his way in. He asked him if he had made up his mind yet, but Mandel wouldn’t say anything. He just shook his head a bit up and down, a bit side to side. Non-committal. Hopefully just doesn’t want to spill the beans. He wouldn’t decided on the podium, would he? (just kidding, I hope)

Here’s columnist Paula Simon’s take on it. She writes, “I don’t detect a personal hunger in him to continue, despite the pressure on him from many quarters to stay in office until the arena deal is well and truly done, until the final $100 million is secured.”

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